Lesson · Wudu
The wash that opens prayer.
What wudu is
Wudu is the ritual wash a Muslim performs before salah. It is both a physical cleansing — hands, mouth, face, arms, head, ears, feet — and a quiet, deliberate reset of the heart before standing in front of Allah.
Once you learn it, it stays in the body. Most Muslims do it five times a day for the rest of their lives. Take your time learning it now and it will carry you for ever, in shaa Allah.
Why it is required
Allah commands wudu before salah in the Qur'an. Without it, the prayer is not accepted. The wash itself is also a small act of worship — every drop washes away minor sins, the Prophet ﷺ said.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ
“O you who believe — when you stand up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and (wash) your feet to the ankles.”
Al-Ma'idah 5:6
Before you start
Find a clean place with running water. A sink is fine. Roll your sleeves to your elbows. Take off anything blocking water from reaching your skin (rings, watches).
Sit or stand comfortably. Wudu is not a rush. Each part is washed three times unless we note otherwise.
The steps
11 steps, one at a time.
- 01
Make the intention
Niyyah is in the heart. You do not need to say it aloud. Quietly intend: I am making wudu for the sake of Allah, to prepare for prayer.
- 02
Say bismillah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ
Bismillāh
“In the name of Allah.”
Say it once, quietly. Beginning every act in the name of Allah is the Sunnah.
- 03
Wash your hands, three times
Right hand first, then left. Rub between the fingers. Up to the wrists.
Each washing is one full pour from the wrist down, repeated three times.
Wash your hands, three times - 04
Rinse your mouth, three times
Take water in the right hand, swill it around the mouth, and spit it out. Three times.
Use a finger to gently clean the teeth if you can.
Rinse your mouth, three times - 05
Rinse your nose, three times
Sniff water gently into the nose with the right hand, then blow it out with the left. Three times.
Do not flood the nose — a small inhalation is enough.
Rinse your nose, three times - 06
Wash your face, three times
From the hairline to the chin, and from ear to ear. Cup both hands and pass the water across.
Make sure water reaches the corners of the eyes and the edge of the beard.
Wash your face, three times - 07
Wash your arms to the elbows, three times
Right arm first, then left. From the fingertips up past the elbow.
Let the water flow; rub it in with the other hand.
Wash your arms to the elbows, three times - 08
Wipe your head, once
Wet both hands. Place them at the front of the head and pass them back to the nape, then forward again. Once is enough.
Wipe your head, once - 09
Wipe your ears, once
Use the same wetness on your hands. Place index fingers in the ears, thumbs behind the ears, and wipe. Once is enough.
Wipe your ears, once - 10
Wash your feet to the ankles, three times
Right foot first, then left. Rub between the toes with the little finger of your hand if you can.
Make sure water reaches above the ankle.
Wash your feet to the ankles, three times - 11
Finish with the dua
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā-Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, wa-ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa-rasūluh.
“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever does this and finishes with these words, the eight gates of paradise are opened for them.
Just so you know
What breaks wudu
Wudu lasts until any of the following: using the toilet, passing wind, falling deeply asleep, losing consciousness, sexual discharge.
If any of these happen before salah, do wudu again. Otherwise the wudu remains valid through several prayers.
When you cannot find water
If water is genuinely unavailable, or it would harm you to use it, the Sunnah is tayammum — striking the hands gently on clean earth (or a clean surface), wiping the face, then wiping the hands. Tayammum is a mercy, not a workaround. Use it only when needed.